Apparatus for forming slide fasteners

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for forming a slide fastener having terminal elements reduced in size relative to the remaining fastener elements and two stop members adjacent the terminal fastener elements each being formed from a mass of fusible material fused onto the slide fastener including a support block having parallel channels for receiving separate slide fastener tapes, a forming anvil having a pair of spaced legs movable in the channels to capture the terminal fastener elements in cavities therein, a source for supplying ultrasonic energy to the forming anvil to reduce the size of the terminal fastener elements, a forming block supporting the separated slide fastener tapes adjacent cavities defined therein by another forming anvil, a forming member engaging the forming block to move the forming block relative to the other forming anvil and shear blanks of fusible material in the cavities, and a source for supplying ultrasonic energy to the forming member to fuse the blanks onto the slide fastener tapes to form separate stop members.

tlnited States Patent [191 Moertel et al.

[ APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLIDE FASTENERS [75] Inventors: George B;Moertel, Conneautville;

James R. Wilson, 'Conneaut Lake both of Pa.

[73] Assignee: Textron Inc., Providence, R].

[22] Filed: Jan. 24, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 220,296

Related [1.8. Application Data [62] Division of Ser. No. 34,340, May 4,1970, Pat. No.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,900,694 8/1959 Brown ..29/4lOX 3,353,256 11/1967Frohlichetal. ..29/408 [451 May 29,1973

Primary ExaminerThomas H. Eager Att0rneyAlexander R. Field [57] ABSTRACTApparatus for forming a slide fastener having terminal elements reducedin size relative to the remaining fastener elements and two stop membersadjacent the terminal fastener elements each being formed from a mass offusible material fused onto the slide fastener including a support blockhaving parallel channels for receiving separate slide fastener tapes, aforming anvil having a pair of spaced legs movable in the channels tocapture the terminal fastener elements in cavities therein, a source forsupplying ultrasonic energy to the forming anvil to reduce the size ofthe terminal fastener elements, a forming block supporting the separatedslide fastener tapes adjacent cavities defined therein by anotherforming anvil, a forming member engaging the forming block to move theforming block relative to the other forming anvil and shear blanks offusible material in the cavities, and a source for supplying ultrasonicenergy to the forming member to fuse the blanks onto the slide fastenertapes to form separate stop members.

32 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures SOURCE PATENTED 3.735469 SHEET 1 [If 3 FIG5 SOURCE 75 PATENTEL, HKYZS I973 SHEET 2 [1F 3 APPARATUS FOR FORMINGSLIDE FASTENERS CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is adivisional application of copending application Ser. No. 34,340 filedMay 4, 1970, now US. Pat. No. 3,672,008 granted June 27, 1972.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The presentinvention pertains to the forming of slide fasteners and moreparticularly to the forming of a top portion of slide fasteners havingfastener elements formed from a continuous filament of deformablematerial.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is customary to provide end stops forslide fasteners; that is, a bottom stop for limiting opening movement ofa slider and a top stop for limiting closing movement of the slider. Thebottom stop for many applications is not externally visible afterinstallation in a garment and is normally installed in a garment wherethe material is joined such that the bottom stop may have a variety ofshapes without irritating the wearer of the garment, without adverselyaffecting its functional requirements and without hampering installationin a garment. Top stops, however, are relatively prominent and visibleafter installation in garments and must be precisely positioned withrespect to the slide fastener to permit separation thereof.

In the past, a particular problem has been encountered in the topportion adjacent the top stop in that when the slider is positioned toengage the top stop the diamond of the slider is disposed betweenterminal fastener elements such that the upper ends of the slidefastener tape extending above the top stop are splayed. This splay ishighly undesirable from an aesthetic standpoint and causes difficultiesin installation of the slide fastener in a garment. These difficultiesare accentuated as progress is made in the development of new techniquesfor quickly and automatically securing slide fasteners to materials,such as, the electrostatic methods now being incorporated into massproduction lines.

Top stops for slide fasteners are conventionally made of bands of metalor other material, which bands are folded upon themselves and aroundcords on either side of the slide fastener tapes to which the fastenerele ments are attached. Such top stops have the disadvantages of beingrelatively difficult and expensive to form on the slide fasteners, andfurthermore are unattractive as viewed from the exterior side of theslide fastener and are irritating to the wearer of the garment on theinterior side of the slide fastener.

With the advent of slide fasteners utilizing fastener elements offilamentary plastic material, attempts have been made to provide topstops of similar plastic materials to reduce assembly and material costsas well as to permit dying of the top stops for aesthetic purposes. Suchattempts have not met with success in that they have normally requiredthe positioning of a bar of plastic material across the terminalfastener elements,

which bar of material is fused with the tape and the fas-v tenerelements and then cut to provide two separate stop members. Prior artmethods and apparatus for fusing such material along with the severingstep have caused the final product to have considerable flash and jaggededges which require polishing or manual finishing prior to installationin a garment.

In order to permit installation of slide fasteners in a garment, it isnormally required that the tape area above the top stop be flexible topermit folding of the tape during installation. It is accordingly,extremely desirable to have the upper edge of the top stop well defined;however, prior art top stops made of plastic material have not providedsuch definition.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the presentinvention to construct a slide fastener that has a well defined topstop, is easily and simply manufactured and does not cause the upperends of the slide fastener tape to splay.

In one embodiment, the present invention is summarized in apparatus fordeforming terminal fastener elements of a slide fastener includingsupport means for the slide fastener having channel means supporting theslide fastener to expose the terminal fastener elements, forming meanshaving cavity means therein, the cavity means being smaller than theterminal elements means, and the forming means being movable within thechannel means to capture the terminal fastener elements in the cavitymeans, and means for supplying energy to the forming means to cause theterminal fastener elements to assume the shape of the cavity meanswhereby the terminal fastener elements are reduced in size relative tothe remainder of the fastener elements of the slide fastener.

Another object of the present invention is to form a top stop for aslide fastener by fusing separate masses of material thereto.

A further object of the present invention is to reduce the size of theterminal fastener elements of a slide fastener such that the upper tapeends of the slide fastener are not splayed when the slide fastener isclosed.

A still further object of the present invention is to constructapparatus for forming separate top stop members for a slide fastener byseparately fusing each stop member adjacent terminal fastener elements.

The present invention has another object in the construction ofapparatus for deforming terminal fastener elements of a slide fastenerto accommodate the diamond of a slider.

A further object of the present invention is to utilize ultrasonicenergy to fuse top stop members onto a slide fastener tape and to deformterminal fastener elements of the slide fastener to reduce their size.

Some of the advantages of the present invention over the prior art arethat the top portions of the slide fasteners are inexpensively andquickly formed by methods susceptible to mass production, that damage tothe slide fastener tape during forming of the top stop is obviated, thatno finishing or manual work is required for the top stop, that thesurfaces of the top stop are smooth without jagged edges, and that theupper ends of the slide fastener tapes are not splayed when the slidefastener is closed.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description of the preferred embodimenttaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a slidefastener having a top portion formed in accordance with the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged broken front elevation of the slide fastener ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a section taken along line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front elevation, partially in section, of apparatus fordeforming the terminal fastener elements of a slide fastener.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation, partially in section, of the apparatus ofFIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view in broken perspective of apparatus forforming a top stop in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side elevation partially in section of the apparatus of FIG.7 during an initial forming step.

FIG. 9 is a side elevation partially in section of apparatus of FIG. 7during a final forming step.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A slide fastener formed inaccordance with the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 andincludes a pair of woven tapes l0 and 12 having thickened cord portions14 and 16, respectively, running longitudinally along the inner edgesthereof. A plurality of fastener elements 18 and a plurality of fastenerelements 20 are secured to cords 14 and 16, respectively, and are madeofa continuous filament of deformable, plastic material such as nylon.The filamentary fastener elements illustrated have a coiledconfiguration, and the edges of the coils of fastener elements 18 and 20face each other and are adapted to be interengaged by means of a slider22. The present invention is not limited in application to the specificconfiguration of the filamentary fastener elements illustrated butrather may be utilized with filamentary fastener elements having aladder-like configuration or other fastener elements made of a materialwhich can be easily deformed or reduced in size.

A top stop for the slide fastener includes a pair of stop members 24 and26 which are substantially identical in construction and are formed onopposite sides of the slide fastener. Each of stop members 24 and 26 isformed of a mass of precisely defined fusible material having dimensionscommensurate with the dimensions of slider 22 to prevent movement of theslider beyond the stop members. Stop members 24 and 26 are illustratedas being disposed on the same side of the slide fastener as the pull ofthe slide, that is, the exterior side of the slide fastener; however,the stop members may be formed on the interior side of the slidefastener with equally acceptable results.

Slider 22 has an upper wing portion 28 having transverse downwardlyextending marginal flanges 30 on either side thereof, and a pull 31engages the slider at the upper wing portion, as is conventional. Alower wing portion 32 has transverse upwardly extending marginal flanges34 on either side thereof aligned with flanges 30. The marginal flanges30 and 34 are disposed at the rear of the slider and are verticallyspaced to permit tapes l0 and 12 to move freely therethrough. An uprightpost forming a diamond 36 is disposed at the front of the slider andinterconnects the upper and lower wing portions 28 and 32. The diamond36 of the slider has a V-configuration with the point thereof disposedin a longitudinal center of the slider to define first and secondchannels around the diamond at the front of the slider, which channelsmerge at the rear of the slider such that interengagement of thefastener elements may be controlled by movement of the slider.

Stop members 24 and 26 act to limit closing movement of slider 22 byhaving a width in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of theslide fastener greater than the distance between the longitudinal centerof the slider and the slightly curved front ends of flanges 30 and 34.Thus, the width of the stop members 24 and 26 is sufficient to preventthe stop members from moving through the slider; and, accordingly, whenthe inner edges of the stop members are adjacent the diamond, the outeredges of the stop members abut the front edges of flanges 30 and 34 tolimit movement of the slider. Furthermore, the thickness of stop members24 and 26 is greater than the space between flanges 30 and 34 such thatthe stop members cannot move through the slider as do tapes 10 and 12.

The terminal or end elements of fastener elements 18 and 20 are reducedin size to accommodate diamond 36 of slider 22, as best illustrated inFIG. 2. More specifically, terminal elements 38 and 40 of fastenerelements 18 and terminal elements 42 and 44 of fastener elements 20 donot extend from cords 14 and 16, respectively, into the gap therebetweento the extent that the remaining fastener elements in the centralportion of the slide fastener extend into the gap. Terminal element 38is larger than terminal element 40, and similarly terminal element 42 islarger than terminal element 44 such that straight lines abutting theperipheries of terminal elements 38 and 40 and terminal elements 42 and44 have a V-configuration corresponding to the V-configuration of therear tapered edge of diamond 36. Thus, as illustrated in FIG. 2, whenslider 22 is at its uppermost position engaging stop members 24 and 26,the reduced size of the terminal elements permits tapes l0 and 12 toextend beyond the upper edge of the slider without splay.

Apparatus for reducing the size of the terminal fastener elements isillustrated in FIGS. 4, S and 6 and includes a support block 46 havinglongitudinal channels 48 and 50 therein arranged in parallel spacedrelation. Channel 48 is a narrow slot terminating in rounded shoulders52 and 54 ofa wide mouth 56 which comm unicates with an upper edge ofsupport block 46. Similarly, channel 50 is a narrow slot terminating inrounded shoulders 58 and 60 of a wide mouth 62 communicating with thetop surface of support block 46.

Separate halves of the slide fastener are vertically supported inchannels 48 and 50 such that tapes 10 and 12 extend into the narrowslots and cords 14 and 16 rest on the rounded shoulders in mouths S6 and62, respectively, to project the fastener elements towards the top ofsupport block 46 and expose the terminal elements.

A forming anvil 64 in the form of an ultrasonic horn has legs 66 and 68depending in spaced parallel relation from a support member 69, and legs66 and 68 have a width less than the width of mouths 56 and 62 so as tobe movable therein. Legs 66 and 68 have flat bottom surfaces 70 and 71with parallel side walls extending transversely therefrom, respectively;and, pairs of generally V-shaped cavities 72, 73 and 74, are disposed inbottom surfaces 70 and 71, respectively, at an angle to the side walls.The angular orientation of the cavities corresponds to the helical angleof the coiled fastener elements 18 and 20, as best illustrated in FIG.6. Cavities 72 and 74 are larger than cavities 73 and 75 and areutilized to form terminal elements 38 and 42 while cavities 73 and 75are utilized to form terminal elements 40 and 44. Forming anvil 64 isconnected with a source of ultrasonic energy 76; and, as will beexplained in more detail hereinafter, anvil 64 is pressed against cords14 and 16 and the terminal fastener elements are captured in thecavities while ultrasonic energy is applied thereto to fuse the materialof the terminal elements to cause them to assume the shape of thecavities and be reduced in size.

Apparatus for forming the top stop is illustrated in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9and includes a forming block 78 having a base 80 and a top plate 82secured thereto. Base 80 has a square channel 84 cut therethrough, and apair of stock guides 86 and 86' are disposed therein. Guides 86 and 86have flat inner surfaces 88 and 88 spaced from each other in a formingarea 90, and longitudinal bores 91 and 91' extend through guides 86 and86' to provide channels for supplying strips of stock 92 and 92 of afusible material, such as a thermoplastic material like nylon, toforming area 90. Slide fastener guide channels 93 and 93' extend throughforming area 90 transversely to bores 91 and 91', and channels 93 and 93are formed with enlarged recesses 94 and 94' for receiving cords 14 and16 of tapes and 12, respectively. A central wall 96 extends throughforming area 90 in a direction parallel to guide channels 93 and 93',and the cross sectional configuration of guide'channels 93 and 93' areessentially the same as channels 48 and 50 of support block 46 tosupport slide fastener tapes 10 and 12 such that fastener elements 18and extend towards wall 96.

A central bore 98 is disposed in base 80 below forming area 90, and abifurcated forming anvil 100 is movably disposed in bore 98 and hasupwardly extending legs 102 and 104. The space between legs 102 and 104corresponds to the width of wall 96 such that the legs 102 and 104extend on either side of the wall. Forming anvil 100 has a cylindricalbase which is secured in a support 106, and locating pins 108 areutilized to index the location of forming block 78 with respect tosupport 106. Bias springs 110 are coiled around each pin 108 and aremounted in compression between support 106 and forming block 78 suchthat in the absence of external forces, forming block 78 is spaced froman annular stop 112 disposed on the top of support 106 surrounding anvil100.

Legs 102 and 104 of anvil 100 are identical; and, accordingly, only thestructure of the forming end of leg 102 will be described with theidentical structure of the forming end of leg 104 being given identicalreference numbers with primes. The forming end of leg 102 has outerupstanding walls 114 and 116 of each of which has an inner surfacetapering upwardly and outwardly. An energy directing projection 118 islocated centrally between walls 114 and 116 and has four tapered sidesurfaces terminating in a small flat apex 120.

Legs 102 and 104 extend upwardly into the forming area 90, and the widthof channel 84 corresponds to the width of legs 102 and 104 while thetransverse dimensions of legs 102 and 104 correspond to the distancebetween surfaces 88 and 88' and central wall 96. Thus, it may be seenthat legs 102 and 104 snugly slide between surfaces 88 and 88' and wall96 to form cavities generally indicated at 122 and 122'.

A fusing member 124, in the form of an ultrasonic horn, has an annularsupport member 126 and is connected with a source of ultrasonic energy128. A pair of legs 130 and 130' depend from support member 126 and havecurved recesses 132 and 132 on the lower inner corners thereof. Legs 130and 130 are spaced from each other to accommodate wall 96 and havevertical dimensions so as to engage slide fastener tapes 10 and 12 inblock 78 when support member 126 contacts the upper surface of centralwall 96.

A method of forming a slide fastener in accordance with the presentinvention will now be described utilizing the apparatus illustrated inFIGS. 4 through 9. The slide fasteners are mass produced in continuouschains with the fastener elements made of a continuous coiled filamentof deformable material, such as nylon, as previously described; and, thefastener elements are attached to cords 14 and 16 in any conventionalmanner. The continuous slide fastener chains are gapped at predeterminedlocations to provide slide fasteners of desired lengths; that is, someof the fastener elements are cut or punched from the tapes to providecleaned and gapped areas at which the slide fasteners are adapted to becut.

The above described steps in the mass production of slide fasteners areprovided as a brief background leading to the present invention which isconcerned with the forming of the top portion for such slide fasteners.Thus, it is clear that the present invention may be utilized with slidefasteners of any configuration produced in any manner and not merelywith the specific slide fastener illustrated in the drawings.

The gapped continuous slide fastener chain is separated, and theseparate halves of the chain are supplied to support block 46 such thattapes 10 and 12 are inserted in channels 48 and 50 to expose theterminal ones of fastener elements 18 and 20, respectively. With theexposed terminal elements properly positioned in channels 48 and 50forming anvil 64 is lowered such that legs 66 and 68 move within mouths56 and 62 until bottom surfaces and 71 engage cords 14 and 16 to captureterminal elements 38, 40, 42 and 44 in cavities 72, 73, 74 and 75,respectively. Once the terminal elements are captured in the cavities,ultrasonic energy from source 76 is supplied to forming anvil 64 to fuseor melt the terminal elements to cause them to assume the shape of thecavities; and, accordingly, the terminal elements are reduced in sizerelative to the remaining fastener elements.

After the terminal elements are deformed the chain is supplied toforming block 78 for forming of the stop members 24 and 26 thereon. Thechain enters block 78 from the left hand side in guide channels 93 and93 after tapes 10 and 12 have been rotated to substantially horizontalpositions from the substantially vertical positions in support block 46.Cords 14 and 16 are received and supported in receses 94 and 94',respectively, as the chain is slidably moved within forming block 78 toa position where terminal elements 40 and 44 are adjacent the left handedges of cavities 122 and 122, respectively. Once the tapes are sopositioned, predetermined amounts of strips of stock 92 and 92' areexposed beyond surfaces 88 and 88' and above the forming ends of anvilwhich is in its withdrawn position, and fusing member 124 is loweredsuch that support member 126 engages and moves forming block 78 relativeto anvil 100 to abut stop 1 12 against the force from springs to shearthe strips of stock and dispose blanks of the fusible material incavities 122 and 122' defined by the forming ends of anvil 100 in itsextended position and surfaces 88 and 88. Legs 130 and 130' engage slidefastener tapes 10 and 12 with recesses 132 and 132' accommodating cords14 and 16, respectively, to precisely position the slide fastener andassure the forming of well defined stop members. Ultrasonic energy issupplied to fusing member 124, and the blanks can be fused to tapes 10and 12, as to cords l4 and 16, or to both. The tapered side surfaces ofupstanding walls 114, 114, 116 and 116 along with projections 1 18 and118' localize the ultrasonic energy to precisely define the shape ofstop members 24 and 26.

The fusing or melting of the blanks permits the fusible material to flowthrough interstices in the material of tapes 10 and 12 to provide a firmbond therebetween. The bond between the stop members and the tapes maybe enhanced by utilizing threads made of a fusible material such asnylon to stitch or weave the fastener elements onto the tapes such thatthe blanks fuse with the threads.

Once the stop members have been formed, the chain is moved to the nextgapped area adjacent reduced terminal elements to permit the forming ofstop members for another slide fastener.

It will be appreciated that the stop members 24 and 26 are formedseparately on the tape halves with well defined shapes to assure properlimiting of slider movement. No severing operations are required, andthere are no projections or jagged edges thereby permitting the stopmembers to be formed on the interior of the slide fastener withoutirritating the wearer of a garment utilizing the slide fastener. The useof cavities for forming the stop members coupled with localization ofthe ultrasonic energy by the energy directing projections on the formingends of anvil 100 permits the stop members to have precisely definedshapes with no flash and prevents undesired melting or fusing of othercomponents of the slide fastener. The well defined shapes of the stopmembers also enhance flexibility of the gapped upper tape edges tofacilitate installation in a garment.

Of course, it will be appreciated that conventional indexing means willbe utilized in automating the above described methods and apparatus formass production.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations,modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all mattercontained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limitingsense.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a top portion for a slide fastener of the typehaving a tape carrying fastener elements made of a continuous filamentof deformable material, said method comprising the steps of supportingthe slide fastener in a position such that terminal ones of the fastenerelements are exposed; deforming the terminal ones of the fastenerelements;

and

fusing a mass of fusible material to the tape adjacent the terminal onesof the fastener elements to form a top stop for the slide fastener.

2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said fusing step includespositioning the tape above a cavity, and disposing a blank of thefusible material in the cavity.

3. The invention as recited in claim 2 wherein said disposing stepincludes shearing a predetermined amount of strip stock of the fusiblematerial to form the blank.

4. The invention as recited in claim 3 wherein said positioning stepincludes supporting the slide fastener in a forming block defining thecavity along with the end of a forming anvil, and said shearing stepincludes moving the forming block relative to the forming anvil to shearthe strip stock.

5. The invention as recited in claim 4 wherein said moving step includesmoving a fusing member to engage and move the forming block.

6. The invention as recited in claim 5 wherein said fusing step includesproviding ultrasonic energy to the fusing member.

7. The invention as recited in claim 6 wherein said deforming stepincludes placing the terminal ones of the fastener elements in cavitiesin a forming member and providing ultrasonic energy to the formingmember to reduce the size of the terminal ones of the fastener elements.

8. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said deforming stepincludes reducing the size of the terminal ones of the fastener elementsrelative to the remainder of the fastener elements.

9. The invention as recited in claim 8 wherein said reducing stepincludes placing the terminal ones of the fastener elements in cavitiesin a forming member and providing ultrasonic energy to the formingmember.

10. A method of forming a top portion for a slide fastener of the typehaving first and second tapes carrying first and second fastenerelements, respectively, each of the first and second fastener elementsbeing made of a continuous filament of deformable material, said methodcomprising the steps of supporting said first and second tapes inparallel channels in a support block to expose terminal ones of thefirst and second fastener elements;

simultaneously reducing the size of the terminal ones of the first andsecond fastener elements; and

simultaneously fusing first and second masses of fusible material to thefirst and second tapes adjacent the terminal ones of the first andsecond fastener elements, respectively, to form separate top stopmembers for the slide fastener.

11. The invention as recited in claim 10 wherein said fusing stepincludes positioning said first and second tapes above first and secondcavities, respectively, shearing a predetermined amount of strip stockof the fusible material to form first and second blanks and disposingthe first and second blanks in the first and second cavities,respectively.

12. The invention as recited in claim 11 wherein said positioning stepincludes supporting the slide fastener in a forming block defining thefirst and second cavities along with first and second ends ofa forminganvil, and said shearing step includes moving a fusing member to engagethe forming block and move the forming block relative to the forminganvil to shear the strip stock.

13. The invention as recited in claim 12 wherein said reducing stepincludes placing the terminal ones of the first and second fastenerelements in cavities in a forming member and providing ultrasonic energyto the forming member, and said fusing step further includes providingultrasonic energy to the fusing member.

14. The invention as recited in claim 12 wherein said reducing stepincludes placing the terminal ones of the first and second fastenerelements in cavities in a forming member and providing ultrasonic energyto the forming member.

15. Apparatus for deforming terminal fastener elements of a slidefastener comprising support means for the slide fastener includingchannel means supporting the slide fastener to expose the terminalfastener elements;

forming means including a forming anvil having a bottom surface and sidewalls extending from said bottom surface and a cavity means disposed insaid bottom surface and being smaller than the terminal element means,said forming means being movable within said channel means to capture atleast one terminal fastener element in said cavity means; and means forsupplying energy to said forming means to cause said at least oneterminal fastener element to assume the shape of said cavity meanswhereby said at least one terminal fastener element is reduced in sizerelative to the remainder of the fastener elements of the slide fastenerto thereby accommodate a diamond of a slide fastener.

16. The invention as recited in claim wherein said cavity means includesa first cavity and a second cavity, said first cavity being smaller thansaid second cavity.

17. The invention as recited in claim 16 wherein said forming anvil sidewalls are parallel and extend transversely from said bottom surface withsaid first and second cavities being disposed in said bottom surface andangularly oriented with said side walls.

18. The invention as recited in claim 17 wherein said first and secondcavities are generally V-shaped in cross section.

19. The invention as recited in claim 15 wherein said channel meansincludes first and second channels disposed in spaced parallel relationin said support means, each of said first and second channels having anarrow slot terminating in a wide mouth to accommodate first and secondslide fastener tapes and first and second thickened cord portionscarried thereby, respectively.

20. The invention as recited in claim 19 wherein said forming meansincludes a second forming anvil with said first and second forminganvils depending in spaced parallel relation from a support member to bemovable in said mouths of said first and second channels, respectively,and said cavity means includes first and second cavities in said firstforming anvil and third and fourth cavities in said second forminganvil.

21. The invention as recited in claim 20 wherein said first cavity issmaller than said second cavity and said third cavity is smaller thansaid fourth cavity.

- 22. The invention as recited in claim 21 wherein said first and secondforming anvils each have parallel side walls extending transversely fromsaid bottom surface, said first and second cavities disposed in saidbottom surface of said first forming anvil being angularly oriented withsaid side walls, and said third and fourth cavities being disposed insaid bottom surface of said second forming anvil and angularly orientedwith said side walls.

23. Apparatus for forming top stop means on a slide fastener comprisinga forming block including a forming area, a bore communicating with saidforming area, slide fastener guide means extending through said formingarea, said slide fastener guide means including first and secondchannels each having a narrow portion adapted to accommodate a slidefastener tape and a recess adapted to accommodate a thickened cordportion on the edge of the tape, and stock guide means terminating insaid forming area, said stock guide means including channel means fordelivering fusible material stock to said forming area;

a forming anvil disposed in said bore and having an end with a normallywithdrawn position on one side of said channel means and an extendedposition on the other side of said channel means to form cavity means incooperation with said stock guide means; and

means for placing said end of said forming anvil in said extendedposition to shear the fusible material and fusing the sheared fusiblematerial to the slide fastener.

24. The invention as recited in claim 23 wherein said channel meansincludes first and second bores through said stock guide means and saidcavity means includes first and second cavities communicating with saidfirst and second bores.

25. The invention as recited in claim 24 wherein said first and secondbores are aligned with each other and disposed in transverse relation tosaid slide fastener guide means.

26. Te invention as recited in claim 25 wherein said forming area has acentral wall extending therethrough between said first and secondcavities, and said placing and fusing means includes a fusing memberhaving a support member with a bottom surface adapted to engage saidcentral wall and first and second legs depending from said supportmember and adapted to engage the slide fastener tapes at said first andsecond cavities, respectively, and said fusing member is connected witha source of ultrasonic energy of fusing the fusible material to theslide fastener.

27. The invention as recited in claim 26 wherein said first and secondlegs of said fusing member each have an arcuate recess on an innercorner thereof aligned with said recesses of said first and secondchannels, and said forming anvil is bifurcated to form first and secondends each having energy directing projection means thereon.

2%. A method of forming a top stop on a slide fastener tape comprisingthe steps of supporting the slide fastener tape adjacent a cavity;

disposing a blank of fusible material in the cavity; and

fusing the blank onto the slide fastener tape.

29. The invention as recitedin claim 28 wherein said disposing stepincludes positioning a strip of the fusible material in the cavity, andshearing the strip to provide the blank.

30. The invention as recited in claim 29 wherein the slide fastener tapeis supported in a forming block defining the cavity along with the endof a forming anvil and said shearing step includes moving the formingblock relative to the forming anvil.

31. The invention as recited in claim 28 wherein the slide fastener tapehas first and second halves, said supporting step includes supportingthe first tape half adjacent a first cavity and supporting the secondtape half adjacent a second cavity, said disposing step includesdisposing a first blank of fusible material in the first cavity anddisposing a second blank of fusible materal in the second cavity andsaid fusing step includes simultaneously fusing the first and secondblanks onto the first and second tape halves, respectively, to formfirst and second separate stop members.

rial in each of the first and second cavitiesand moving the formingblock relative to the forming anvil to shear the strips of fusiblematerial to provide the first and second blanks.

1. A method of forming a top portion for a slide fastener of the typehaving a tape carrying fastener elements made of a continuous filamentof deformable material, said method comprising the steps of supportingthe slide fastener in a position such that terminal ones of the fastenerelements are exposed; deforming the terminal ones of the fastenerelements; and fusing a mass of fusible material to the tape adjacent theterminal ones of the fastener elements to form a top stop for the slidefastener.
 2. The invention as recited in claim 1 wherein said fusingstep includes positioning the tape above a cavity, and disposing a blankof the fusible material in the cavity.
 3. The invention as recited inclaim 2 wherein said disposing step includes shearing a predeterminedamount of strip stock of the fusible material to form the blank.
 4. Theinvention as recited in claim 3 wherein said positioning step includessupporting the slide fastener in a forming block defining the cavityalong with the end of a forming anvil, and said shearing step includesmoving the forming block relative to the forming anvil to shear thestrip stock.
 5. The invention as recited in claim 4 wherein said movingstep includes moving a fusing member to engage and move the formingblock.
 6. The invention as recited in claim 5 wherein said fusing stepincludes providing ultrasonic energy to the fusing member.
 7. Theinvention as recited in claim 6 wherein said deforming step includesplacing the terminal ones of the fastener elements in cavities in aforming member and providing ultrasonic energy to the forming member toreduce the size of the terminal ones of the fastener elements.
 8. Theinvention as recited in claim 1 wherein said deforming step includesreducing the size of the terminal ones of the fastener elements relativeto the remainder of the fastener elements.
 9. The invention as recitedin claim 8 wherein said reducing step includes placing the terminal onesof the fastener elements in cavities in a forming member and providingultrasonic energy to the forming member.
 10. A method of forming a topportion for a slide fastener of the type having first and second tapescarrying first and second fastener elements, respectively, each of thefirst and second fastener elements being made of a continuous filamentof deformable material, said method comprising the steps of supportingsaid first and second tapes in parallel channels in a support block toexpose terminal ones of the first and second fastener elements;simultaneously reducing the size of the terminal ones of the first andsecond fastener elements; and simultaneously fusing first and secondmasses of fusible material to the first and second tapes adjacent theterminal ones of the first and second fastener elements, respectively,to form separate top stop members for the slide fastener.
 11. Theinvention as recited in claim 10 wherein said fusing step includespositioning said first and second tapes above first and second cavities,respectively, shearing a predetermined amount of strip stock of thefusible material to form first and second blanks and disposing the firstand second blanks in the first and second cavities, respectively. 12.The invention as recited in claim 11 wherein said positioning stepincludes supporting the slide fastener in a forming block defining thefirst and second cavities along with first and second ends of a forminganvil, and said shearing step includes moving a fusing member to engagethe forming block and move the forming block relative to the forminganvil to shear the strip stock.
 13. The invention as recited in claim 12wherein said reducing step includes placing the terminal ones of thefirst and second fastener elements in cavities in a forming member andproviding ultrasonic energy to the forming member, and said fusing stepfurther includes providing ultrasonic energy to the fusing member. 14.The invention as recited in claim 12 wherein said reducing step includesplacing the terminal ones of the first and second fastener elements incavities in a forming member and providing ultrasonic energy to theforming member.
 15. Apparatus for deforming terminal fastener elementsof a slide fastener comprising support means for the slide fastenerincluding channel means supporting the slide fastener to expose theterminal fastener elements; forming means including a forming anvilhaving a bottom surface and side walls extending from said bottomsurface and a cavity means disposed in said bottom surface and beingsmaller than the terminal element means, said forming means beingmovable within said channel means to capture at least one terminalfastener element in said cavity means; and means for supplying energy tosaid forming means to cause said at least one terminal fastener elementto assume the shape of said cavity means whereby said at least oneterminal fastener element is reduced in size relative to the remainderof the fastener elements of the slide fastener to thereby accommodate adiamond of a slide fastener.
 16. The invention as recited in claim 15wherein said cavity means includes a first cavity and a second cavity,said first cavity being smaller than said second cavity.
 17. Theinvention as recited in claim 16 wherein said forming anvil side wallsare parallel and extend transversely from said bottom surface with saidfirst and second cavities being disposed in said bottom surface andangularly oriented with said side walls.
 18. The invention as recited inclaim 17 wherein said first and second cavities are generally V-shapedin cross section.
 19. The invention as recited in claim 15 wherein saidchannel means includes first and second channels disposed in spacedparallel relation in said support means, each of said first and secondchannels having a narrow slot terminating in a wide mouth to accommodatefirst and second slide fastener tapes and first and second thickenedcord portions carried thereby, respectively.
 20. The invention asrecited in claim 19 wherein said forming means includes a second forminganvil with said first and second forming anvils depending in spacedparallel relation from a support member to be movable in said mouths ofsaid first and second channels, respectively, and said cavity meansincludes first and second cavities in said first forming anvil and thirdand fourth cavities in said second forming anvil.
 21. The invention asrecited in claim 20 wherein said first cavity is smaller than saidsecond cavity and said third cavity is smaller than said fourth cavity.22. The invention as recited in claim 21 wherein said first and secondforming anvils each have parallel side walls extending transversely fromsaid bottom surface, said first and second cavities disposed in saidbottom surface of said first forming anvil being angularly oriented withsaid side walls, and said third and fourth cavities being disposed insaid bottom surface of said second forming anvil and angularly orientedwith said side walls.
 23. Apparatus for forming top stop means on aslide fastener comprising a forming block including a forming area, abore communicating with said forming area, slide fastener Guide meansextending through said forming area, said slide fastener guide meansincluding first and second channels each having a narrow portion adaptedto accommodate a slide fastener tape and a recess adapted to accommodatea thickened cord portion on the edge of the tape, and stock guide meansterminating in said forming area, said stock guide means includingchannel means for delivering fusible material stock to said formingarea; a forming anvil disposed in said bore and having an end with anormally withdrawn position on one side of said channel means and anextended position on the other side of said channel means to form cavitymeans in cooperation with said stock guide means; and means for placingsaid end of said forming anvil in said extended position to shear thefusible material and fusing the sheared fusible material to the slidefastener.
 24. The invention as recited in claim 23 wherein said channelmeans includes first and second bores through said stock guide means andsaid cavity means includes first and second cavities communicating withsaid first and second bores.
 25. The invention as recited in claim 24wherein said first and second bores are aligned with each other anddisposed in transverse relation to said slide fastener guide means. 26.The invention as recited in claim 25 wherein said forming area has acentral wall extending therethrough between said first and secondcavities, and said placing and fusing means includes a fusing memberhaving a support member with a bottom surface adapted to engage saidcentral wall and first and second legs depending from said supportmember and adapted to engage the slide fastener tapes at said first andsecond cavities, respectively, and said fusing member is connected witha source of ultrasonic energy of fusing the fusible material to theslide fastener.
 27. The invention as recited in claim 26 wherein saidfirst and second legs of said fusing member each have an arcuate recesson an inner corner thereof aligned with said recesses of said first andsecond channels, and said forming anvil is bifurcated to form first andsecond ends each having energy directing projection means thereon.
 28. Amethod of forming a top stop on a slide fastener tape comprising thesteps of supporting the slide fastener tape adjacent a cavity; disposinga blank of fusible material in the cavity; and fusing the blank onto theslide fastener tape.
 29. The invention as recited in claim 28 whereinsaid disposing step includes positioning a strip of the fusible materialin the cavity, and shearing the strip to provide the blank.
 30. Theinvention as recited in claim 29 wherein the slide fastener tape issupported in a forming block defining the cavity along with the end of aforming anvil and said shearing step includes moving the forming blockrelative to the forming anvil.
 31. The invention as recited in claim 28wherein the slide fastener tape has first and second halves, saidsupporting step includes supporting the first tape half adjacent a firstcavity and supporting the second tape half adjacent a second cavity,said disposing step includes disposing a first blank of fusible materialin the first cavity and disposing a second blank of fusible material inthe second cavity and said fusing step includes simultaneously fusingthe first and second blanks onto the first and second tape halves,respectively, to form first and second separate stop members.
 32. Theinvention as recited in claim 31 wherein the first and second tapehalves are supported in a forming block defining the first and secondcavities along with first and second ends of a forming anvil, and saiddisposing step includes positioning a strip of fusible material in eachof the first and second cavities and moving the forming block relativeto the forming anvil to shear the strips of fusible material to providethe first and second blanks.